


trust

by extenuatingcircumlocution



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Fantasy AU, Lots of kissing, M/M, Minor Character Death, Political Marriage, War, and CLOWNERY, based off of a YA novel bc thats who i am as a person, both ed AND oswald are dumb in this one oops, get ready for tropes galore bc its all i know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-07-21 07:16:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19998001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extenuatingcircumlocution/pseuds/extenuatingcircumlocution
Summary: "You two said you’d do anything and everything to stop the war. Never ask your people to do something you lack the courage to do. If you really want peace, start with you two. Set aside your anger and prejudice and choose to trust. A marriage is the only way to show your people that you truly trust in the other’s sincerity for peace."Or, Ed and Oswald are advised to end a war by getting married.(A Hawksong AU)





	1. i. a proposal

**Author's Note:**

> I have so many things to say here oof
> 
> 1\. i am NOT abandoning the witch/vampire fic. i just REALLY wanted to write this so i'm putting the other one on hold because i know it'll get long and this one is pretty much already figured out.
> 
> 2\. this is perhaps the dumbest and most self-indulgent crap i've ever written. i was OBSESSED with the book hawksong when i was a kid and i reread it and was STRUCK by how much of a nygmobblepot au it is. i have not been able to stop thinking about writing it
> 
> 3\. this is for anyone who's ever read hawksong and is confused by some of the changes: hawksong is very particular and i am way too pedantic to ruin characters just to make everything fit 100%. though ed is a through and through danica and oswald SCREAMS zane, there were many things i needed to change to make this au fit. for example, oswald is avian because DUH hes the penguin. also, i wussed out of writing shapeshifter fic and i've decided to make harvey dent much more pleasant than his book counterpart.
> 
> 4\. speaking of harvey dent: ross is the inspiration for putting harvey in here as ed's buddy. idk if he'll ever read this but ily, my guy <3
> 
> 5\. if any of this is stupid or confusing, i'm SO sorry. i hope it's somewhat enjoyable anyway

The sad truth was that Ed felt nothing looking at his fianc é e’s corpse on the battlefield.

Her face was so disfigured and damaged he almost didn’t recognize her at first. Her blonde hair was not in its usual updo and the only thing that set her apart from the other bodies around her was the black dress she had on: the very same she wore the day before when she left the court.

Ed had seen his brothers and cousins and friends and sworn guards on this battlefield before. He had buried more people than he could ever try to count. 

The thing that hurt the most was that he was so tired--so  _ exhausted _ \--that he couldn’t even feel heartbroken looking down at Isabella’s body.

This war would continue raging on and, eventually, Ed would have nobody left to mourn.

Isabella was long dead, her face singed from the killing blow. 

“It was a slaughter,” a steady voice said from behind Ed. “They never saw it coming.”

Ed gulped and looked up slowly. “I see.”

Harvey Dent, head of the guard, laughed tightly, as if he was forcing himself. “At least some of them went down too, right?”

Ed nodded absentmindedly, eyes never leaving Isabella’s bloody face.

Harvey inhaled, probably to say something else, but a long whine interrupted whatever thought he was planning on giving voice to.

Ed immediately moved towards the sound, despite Harvey’s protest, “It’s not safe!”

After shuffling through some piled up corpses and ducking around trees, Ed finally saw the source of the whine: a brown haired teenager propped against a tree, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. His skin was ashen and he was sweating profusely, mixing with the tears on his face. 

He could be any boy, any family’s son or brother or friend, if it weren’t for the signet ring set with an amethyst on his left hand. 

Harvey finally caught up with Ed, muttering some curses about how Ed “should stop doing that.” The boy looked up at the noise, and somehow he turned paler.

Harvey gasped behind Ed. “Not this one.” He put a hand on Ed’s shoulder and tugged gently. “Let’s get out of here before your mother finds out you’re here.”

Ed nodded, staring at the amethyst ring before turning to follow his most loyal guard. 

“Please,” whimpered the boy, voice cracked with pain. “Please, end it. I don’t want to--Please--”

Despite Harvey’s warning, Ed faced the boy once again.

“You can’t, your highness,” Harvey said firmly. 

“Why not?” Ed asked.

“That’s Charles Van Dahl. He’s one of the few living Cobblepots. If they find out any one of us killed him, let alone the heir to the serpiente throne…”

Ed wondered how much that would matter. The avians and serpiente already despised each other for no reason. What would one more death do to tip the scales?

“He’s just a kid,” Ed muttered sadly. “I’m tired of seeing so much blood.”

Harvey said nothing. He only sighed with understanding.

Ed approached Charles. Despite the fact that he’d specifically requested help, Charles still flinched, eyes trembling in fear.

“Don’t worry,” Ed said. “I’m here.” 

For some reason, the boy seemed to calm down a bit.

“The most you can do is help the time pass,” Harvey suggested sadly.

There wasn’t much one could do with a boy who couldn’t move, who could hardly speak.

Ed talked to him for a while, about the most beautiful things he could imagine. Tall mountains, blue skies, fields full of blossoming flowers, the first snowflakes to fall on a windowpane.

It became difficult to come up with anything beautiful while looking in the eyes of a dying boy, so he decided to instead sing a lullaby.

Harvey was no longer in any defensive stance, since the boy posed no threat on his deathbed. Instead, he stood a few feet away from Ed, leaning against another tree. 

Harvey was the only person on the entire guard who would allow Ed to do this on the battlefield. They had known each other since they were children, and Harvey knew Ed better than Ed knew himself.

Ed took the boy’s hand and sang, voice as soft as he could manage. The boy struggled through his breaths as he listened to the lullaby. It was probably familiar to him, since it was an avian song Ed had read in a dusty book many years ago.

_ I wish to you sunshine, my dear one, my dear one. And treetops for you to soar past. I wish to you innocence, my child, my child. I pray you don’t grow up too fast. Never know pain, my dear one, my dear one. Nor hunger nor fear nor sorrow. Never know war, my child, my child. Remember your hope for tomorrow. _

By the time the lullaby ended, Charles had exhaled his final breath, body finally still after all his suffering. 

Ed hardly noticed Harvey approach him from behind, and he jumped slightly when his guard reached past his shoulder to gently shut the boy’s eyes.

“Let’s go home,” he said, voice vacant of emotion. 

It was only then that Ed realized his face was wet with tears.

What did that say about him, that he couldn’t muster any emotion for the death of his fianc é e but cried for the death of her killer?

Harvey waited until Ed had wiped his face dry before he gestured for the rest of the guard. It would be in poor decorum for the prince to be seen crying at all, let alone for the enemy.

The rest of the guard finally approached at Harvey’s nod, and they gathered in typical formation to protect the prince.

Ed gave Charles Van Dahl one last glance before they left the field. Ed wondered who he’d have to sing to next time.

* * *

Isabella’s funeral was morbidly routine.

Her body burned on the pyre and Ed stared into the flames, guilty for feeling tired.

He was tired of funerals. He wanted to go home.

“I wonder what you’ll do now,” his mother said from beside him. “You’re going to inherit the crown soon and you have nobody to wed.”

Serpiente royalty did not need to marry in order to become legitimate rulers. However, the marriage between Isabella and Edward was a highly anticipated one.

Amongst all the war and bloodshed and fear, people wanted to feel happy for once. 

A new king and a new queen made people  _ very  _ happy.

The guard and the other funeral attendees were gone by then, leaving only Ed and his mother. Isabella’s own family was dead already. Would there be anyone left to attend Ed’s funeral when he was finally killed?

“I have some other ideas,” Ed said.

“Well, you should come up with something soon,” his mother said with an air of disinterest. “Your coronation is quickly approaching.”

With that, she walked off, elegantly strutting out of view.

Ed waited for the fire to die. He didn’t know why he waited. He didn’t  _ want  _ to be there. Maybe he just felt so guilty for not feeling sad, he couldn’t let her be alone as she turned to ash.

He’d been promised to Isabella since they were six years old. Nobody had asked him for his opinion on the matter, but nobody had asked Isabella either. They had been quite close, but Ed didn’t know if he ever  _ loved  _ her. 

She protected him, defended him, sang to him. She made him feel safe, somehow, and now she was gone. Ed couldn’t let his reserve shatter, not even on his own. He didn’t feel comfortable showing any emotion anymore. It wasn’t the nature of his people to be emotional.

But Isabella was gone and the more Ed thought about it, the more distraught he became. It wasn’t so much that  _ she  _ was gone as it was that almost  _ everybody _ was. What was the point of caring about anyone anymore? They were just going to end up dead like everybody else he’d ever known.

He felt a tear slide down his cheek and he wiped it away with frustration. He cast one more blank look at the ashes on the slab before he turned around and went home.

* * *

Harvey was never far from Ed’s side. As soon as he started heading back towards the Keep, Harvey was there, a few steps behind. If this wasn’t a funeral day, maybe Harvey would be by his side and they’d be talking amiably about something. Instead, they walked in silence.

“You did a good job today, Ed,” Harvey said, dropping the formalities and breaking the silence. “You were very strong during the funeral.”

Strength was highly valued in serpiente culture. Just like the snake his people revered, they aimed to be logical, cold, and as removed from emotion as possible. Letting that reserve fall for even a moment was considered a weakness. It was rare that Ed let it slip, but Harvey was always there to cover for him in the case that it did.

“So did you,” Ed said. Harvey was practiced at staying put together, more so than Ed even. Soldiers were trained to separate themselves entirely from bias and feeling in order to make them more lethal in battle. Emotions like grief and rage were impediments, especially when defending royalty.

Harvey led him to the market, a daily event that he probably hoped would raise his charge’s spirits.

At first, it worked. 

As they mingled amongst the people, observing food and music and fine artwork, Ed could feel his sadness slip away, if only for a little while. Several people cautiously approached their prince to offer gifts, always under Harvey’s watchful eye.

Anything Ed might want to eat, Harvey ate first to check for poison. Any jewelry an artisan wanted to show off had to be inspected by him first. No physical contact with any civilians, not even a handshake.

Touch was frowned upon in serpiente society enough as it was, but to touch the royal family without approval was something akin to a threat. The punishment for a threat against anyone of royal blood was death, plain and simple.

Ed was comfortable with this, and felt himself forgetting about Isabella until a man approached them.

Harvey had not yet given approval for the man to speak, but he was already sobbing, a basket of apples in his hands. He was clearly a farmer of some sort and his face was dirty. “My son,” he bit out as he shed tears. “He died in the same massacre that took our Queen to be.”

Ed faltered with sympathy, offering a gentle smile. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said.

“No,” the man argued, shaking his hands aggressively. “I’m sorry. I wanted to do something for you, to give you ease.” He held out the basket eagerly. “They’re fresh. I picked them this morning.”

Ed took them at Harvey’s eventual nod. 

“Thank you so much, sir,” he said politely. “I love apples.”

The man smiled but never stopped crying. He walked away back to his stall and Ed was left remembering that today was a day of sorrow.

“Let’s keep going,” Harvey said. “Let’s not linger too long here.”

“Eddie!” exclaimed a distant voice.

Ed looked up to see a petite blonde girl frantically waving her arms from a nearby booth. 

Harvey muttered something impolite under his breath but for once Ed ignored him. Ecco was a friend after all, and she didn’t need the guards’ approval to speak.

“Heard your coronation’s coming up,” Ecco said slyly when Ed stepped up to her booth.

Ed nodded, thankful that she had decided not to mention Isabella. 

“You’ll probably be needing something to wear, hmm?”

Ed chuckled. Ecco was a very talented seamstress, able to create beautiful garments for any occasion. Ed was a frequent patron of her work and it was a given he’d request something from her for the coronation.

“Of course.” He smiled. “You’re always my first pick.”

“That’s because you have taste,” she teased. Her face turned morose for a moment and Ed was nervous she would bring up his dead fianc é e. “I heard what happened yesterday,” she said softly. “With Charles Van Dahl.”

That wasn’t what he had expected.

“We’re friends, right?” Ecco smiled wearily. “I just want you to know that hearing about it gave me hope. Maybe, one day, this war can end. I mean, the future serpiente king sat down with the enemy to comfort him in his final moments. If something like that can happen, maybe we can all follow your example.”

Ed smiled but he knew what this was.

Wishful thinking.

The avians were the opposite of serpiente: hot-blooded, bitter, vengeful, quick-tempered. They were no doubt the reason the war started, because it took almost nothing to set the avians off. Ed couldn’t imagine one of their kind setting aside generations of hatred. It just wasn’t in their nature.

He bid farewell to Ecco and tugged at Harvey’s sleeve, a silent signal:  _ Can we leave? _

Harvey led the way out of the market without another word.

* * *

The first time it dawned on Edward that Isabella was to be his future queen, he’d been comfortable. They’d been raised together, after all. She, like Harvey, was often the only one there when his reserve faltered. She knew how to comfort him.

When her parents died, he couldn’t do the same for her. He didn’t know how.

He’d seen her, with red eyes and wet tracks on her cheeks and he had lost all ability to speak.

“Don’t worry, Ed,” she said with a tight smile. “It’s nothing.” Then she wiped her tears and Ed watched as all the sadness faded from her face.

The reserve was an artform and the serpiente were skilled artists.

“It’ll all be okay,” Isabella said. Suddenly, her skin started to burn away, and she screamed in agony as Charles Van Dahl raised his knife against her--

When Ed woke up, Harvey was standing over him, face concerned. “Are you alright, Your Highness?”

Ed nodded, trying to catch his breath. He was taken aback by Harvey’s formalities until he saw Jeremiah, an archer in the guard, in the room by the door. There was no reason for more than one soldier to be watching over one person. He furrowed his brows in confusion, sitting up against his pillows. “What are you doing in here?” 

Jeremiah spoke before Harvey could. “Your mother is summoning you.”

Ed jumped up, quickly putting on his shoes and leaving out the door. Harvey and Jeremiah quickly followed behind, and only then did Ed realize the Keep was swarming with the guard. 

“Is she okay?” Ed asked. 

“Yeah,” Harvey answered. 

“Then why are the guards--”

“You’ll need to see for yourself,” Jeremiah interrupted. 

“We have a visitor,” Harvey said, only being a tad less cryptic than his colleague.

“Who on earth would warrant such a jump in security?” Ed asked, desperate for answers. “Don’t tell me it’s Oswald Cobblepot.” Harvey didn’t laugh at his joke, just quickened his pace somehow.

It wasn’t until they walked into the front hall of the Keep that Ed understood what the fuss was all about.

The hall was full of guards, all in defensive stance, ready to spring into action in a second if need be. His mother was sitting on her throne, hands in her lap and face blank. When Ed saw who she was looking at, his blood ran cold.

There was a red-haired woman sitting on the floor, a small smile on her face. She was clad in a beautiful green dress, her hair adorned with colorful flowers. On her left hand was an amethyst signet ring.

Ed’s mother finally noticed his entry. “Edward, this is Ivy. She’s come all the way from avian lands in  _ peace _ .” The suspicion his mother felt was evident, not just in her tone, but in the number of guards surrounding the avian princess. “Ivy, this is my son and the heir to the throne, Edward.”

Ivy’s smile widened. 

Ed could feel his blood boil. His fiancee was dead because of her people and she had the audacity to enter the Keep? He couldn’t imagine she’d make it out of there alive.

Surely this must be a horrible trap.

“She’s unarmed,” Harvey said. “The guard checked her three times.”

“It was really unnecessary,” Ivy said from her perch on the floor. “I  _ do  _ come in peace.”

Ed didn’t say anything, afraid he might say something to infuriate the treacherous avian in front of him.

“We want to end this war,” she continued softly. “My brothers and I are tired of fighting, of seeing our people slaughtered.” Someone amongst the guard made a noise of derision, probably Jeremiah. At the insolence, Ivy’s disposition shifted. “I’ve seen siblings die. I lost friends and lovers and my father.” She sniffed, obviously struggling to regain her composure. “My people are losing hope. My mother is growing old and her grip on the crown is loose, especially after my father’s death. The people need their king and my brother Oswald is next in line.”

“Excuse me if this sounds rude,” Ed’s mother said calmly. “But you must understand why we would be hesitant to trust you. After all, your kind is known for deception.”

Ivy looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes. “My brother died two days ago,” she said bitterly. “He wasn’t even eighteen yet and his life is now at a close. I’m tired of losing family members. Oswald wanted to come himself, but I thought it would be too dangerous. You’d try to kill him in a heartbeat.” She managed a wry smile at that. “And he didn’t even seem to mind! He said he’d be okay with it if it meant this horrible war would come to an end.”

Ed very much doubted the authenticity of that anecdote. Oswald Cobblepot was notorious for killing in fits of blind rage, for being the most dangerous man in the land. Ed doubted he was overly concerned with ending a war.

“So what is Oswald’s proposal?” Ed’s mother asked. He kept forgetting she was there, as captivated as he was by Ivy’s presence.

Ivy smiled again, as if she was regaining hope that her mission would succeed. “We want a truce. We’ve discussed it and as difficult as it is to imagine, my family and I decided it’s worth it to at least try.” She inhaled carefully. “Such a truce would require a meeting of the royal families, and that should be on neutral land. Oswald proposed meeting before the Mistari Disa. It would be worth it to try, wouldn’t it?” She straightened her back and the soldiers near her raised their swords. She ignored them to look Ed straight in the eyes. “At this point, we’re all just fighting to avenge those who are already dead. Nobody remembers what we’re even fighting for. My people don’t trust yours but a show of faith could go a long way.” Her eyes were pleading.

“Oswald sending you here is a show of faith on his end, I imagine,” Ed’s mother drawled. “What would be our contribution?”

“Just meeting with us. We’d like to appeal to her for the peace talks. Our hope is, that if all goes well, we might be able to stop all this killing.”

“Edward? What do you say?” 

Ed was shocked to be put on the spot. He wasn’t even king yet and his mother was already asking his opinion? 

_ Obviously, no!  _ This had to be a trap, a horrible plot to get the royal family off their guard and slaughter the last of them, resulting in an avian victory.

Ed opened his mouth to object but then he was reminded of his dream, of Isabella’s face. Of Charles Van Dahl and his last moments of torment, of all his family members being slowly picked off, of the  _ funerals _ that were so frequent he stopped ever getting out of the mourning period.

“It’s clear we won’t ever be able to trust each other,” he said, voice firm. “This might very well be a horrible trap. But if there’s even a chance you and your brother are sincere, then…” He looked to his mother, and then to Harvey, who was biting his lip waiting for the final verdict. “I suppose we have no choice but to try.”

Harvey finally chimed in. “Mistari lands  _ are  _ neutral territory. Even their kind would be crazy to try anything there. They wouldn’t land a single kill.”

“Fine,” Ed’s mother announced, voice ringing with authority. “Tell your…  _ prince _ that we agree to meet on his terms.”

In that moment, Ivy finally stood, jumping to her feet and startling the guards. “Wonderful!” she exclaimed, clapping a little. “Set a date and I will tell my brother.”

“In two weeks time,” the Queen said. She flicked her wrist and the guard moved to usher Ivy out. 

“Thank you!” Ivy cried, beaming. “I wish you both the best!”

She then swatted a guard petulantly and turned to leave. 

Ed watched her go, a sick feeling in his stomach.

He really hoped this wasn’t a trap.

* * *

A few days passed and Ed still wasn’t entirely certain that a Cobblepot had really come into the Keep and suggested peace. It sounded ludicrous, and if he hadn’t been there, he would’ve thought it was some sort of cruel joke. Hell, he actually  _ had  _ been there and he still wasn’t sure it wasn’t a joke.

He was eating breakfast with his mother. All meals were a lonely affair these days. 

When Ed was a child, the dining room table would be fully seated, with all his family surrounding him. Now, he only had his mother left.

It was thoughts like these that made Ed more motivated to consider the avians’ proposal for peace. If they were sincere then there was no reason to fight anymore.

But they had been at war for longer than even history could remember. Did anyone even know how to be at peace anymore? Ed wasn’t sure he could even imagine his kingdom without war.

“Ed!” his mother snapped. Ed blinked out of his thoughts to make eye contact with her. “I  _ said _ , have you given it any thought?”

“Huh?” Ed couldn’t remember what she had been saying. “Given what any thought?”

“Selecting a new fianc ée, of course.” She took a bite of her toast. She looked refined and dainty doing anything. “I imagine I already know who your first choice is.”

Ed reddened. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Well, Harvey is a good choice, I think. He comes from a good family, has an honorable position. And he cares about you. That’s the most you could ask for.”

Ed didn’t say anything. 

Harvey was already head of the guard. He was by Ed’s side unconditionally, and once Ed was crowned, he’d even swear fealty. But marriage… Harvey was already in so much danger. Marrying him would be like putting a target on his back.

But there really wasn’t anybody else Ed could imagine living the rest of his life with.

The fact that his mother hadn’t even needed to ask showed how obvious the choice was. Did Ed even need to deliberate any further?

After breakfast, Ed went to see Harvey at the armory.

He was talking to a curly haired girl decked in leather. 

“--War is no game, Kyle,” Harvey was saying. At that, the girl’s face turned stoic. “You have to channel your emotions. You can’t afford to lose your cool when you’re face to face with the enemy.”

The girl looked up to see Ed and she straightened instantly. “Your Highness,” she said, prompting Harvey to turn as well.

“Hey,” he said casually. “Did you wanna join the guard too?”

Ed laughed. “No, I just came to check about the party going to Mistari lands.”

Harvey shrugged. “That should be fine. Tabitha’s organizing it and I’ll be heading it.” With that out of the way, Harvey gestured to the girl. “This is Selina Kyle. She’s interested in joining the guard.”

Ed smiled, uncertain of what to say. Every new recruit was technically a good thing, but knowing how many bodies ended up laying in that battlefield made it painful to look any aspiring soldiers in the eye.

“She needs some training, but I think she’s a good rookie,” Harvey teased. 

Selina glared at him. “I doubt I need training.”

Harvey started to say something, but Tabitha Galavan entered the armory and, immediately upon making eye contact with him, called Ed over. Tabitha was in charge of strategy for the army and had a wicked mind for hitting the enemy where it hurts.

When he caught up to her, Tabitha smiled mischievously. “Jeremiah and I had a really good plan,” she said. “Dent will head the formation with you and your mother to the Mistari. Whether this peace thing is a ruse or not, the birds will be distracted. We were thinking that while they’re out of their palace, we could use that to our advantage. It’s the perfect place to strike. They won’t even see it coming--”

“ _ No. _ ” 

“What?” Tabitha looked surprised. 

“I said, no,” Ed repeated. “If these peace talks are sincere, then we can’t have any attacks. If we aren’t worthy of their trust, how can we expect them to be worthy of ours?”

Tabitha looked skeptical at that. Ed understood. Most of the serpiente were skeptical, after all. It seemed impossible that these peace talks were sincere. But in the slight chance that they  _ were _ …

“How about you give us two days after we return?” Ed said. “Mistari lands are closer to us than they are to them. We’ll return before they will. We’ll be able to regroup and plan before they can even imagine an attack. And if the peace talks aren’t a ruse, then we’ll just cancel the attack altogether.”

Tabitha nodded, obviously still peeved. She didn’t wait for a dismissal before sourly stalking away.

Ed knew his people wouldn’t be happy about these talks. It smelled of a trap. His mother had arranged for extra guards to protect the Keep while they were away but that had done nothing to assuage the serpiente’s fears. He couldn’t blame them.

He was scared too.

* * *

The Mistari were a mountain people, their emblem a fierce tiger.

Despite that predator as their symbol, for generations, they’d garnered the reputation of peaceful and neutral. This would not be the first time two warring nations sought their advice and it likely wouldn’t be the last.

The talks were meant to be a quiet affair: no unnecessary soldiers and absolutely no weapons.

Other than Ed and his mother, only Harvey and Jeremiah were to go to the talks.

Ed had never seen the Mistari palace before. As he entered, he marvelled at the sleek metalwork, the towering pillars, the marble floors. It was so different from the brick and stone that made the serpiente Keep.

Ed and his party were led through several halls until they entered what was presumably the throne room. 

A beautiful, dark-haired woman was sitting on a throne, a blond man at her side. 

Ed couldn’t stare at them for long before he was ushered to sit against one of the walls. That was the moment that he noticed the avians were already there on the opposite wall.

Ivy was there, of course, sitting cross legged next to a dark-haired boy maybe a few years younger. They were both decked out in the highest fashions, the fabric of their clothes obviously expensive. Ivy smiled and waved when she saw Ed, and he blinked in surprise at the friendly gesture. Nonetheless, he ignored it, since there was still a very good chance this was all some sort of devious trick. Next to the boy, there was an older woman with wild hair, dressed in a less luxurious lace frock, and a beautiful brunette woman with rosy red lips. And to her side there was…

Oh dear.

Ed had not imagined that Oswald Cobblepot was that handsome.

He felt his heart catch in his throat and tried to pull his gaze away but it was so fitting that the Cobblepot emblem was a bird because Oswald looked so much like one.

Ed had never seen Oswald Cobblepot before. He was wearing all black and that brought Ed’s attention to the rare spot of color on his person, the amethyst ring on his hand. His hair was styled in a strange way to emulate the look of feathers and his eyes were a beautiful green.

Ed swallowed.

And then Oswald looked up at him.

Ed quickly turned away, trying to look like he hadn’t been staring.

It was disconcerting, seeing how affected he was by the mere  _ looks _ of a person who had killed his kind and relished it.

When everyone was settled, the dark haired woman on the throne at the back of the hall stood. She had a sweet smile on her face as she called for attention. The hall turned silent at her command.

“Serpiente,” she greeted with an incline of her head. Then she turned to the other wall. “Avians.” She gestured to the blond man. “This is my husband, Jim. And I’m the Mistari Disa, Lee.” Lee sat once more and clasped her hands in her lap. “Alright, then. So you’ve come to discuss peace?”

Ed’s mother nodded curtly.

“Who should I address as your ruler?” Lee asked patiently.

The wild-haired woman spoke up in a heavy accent. Ed assumed she was the Cobblepots’ mother, returned to avian territory from a foreign land. “Yes, my son, Oswald, will be crowned King very soon.”

Ed chanced a glance at Oswald, who kept his eyes steadily on Lee. He didn’t even gloat.

Ed almost missed it when his own mother spoke up, “And my son, Edward, will be having his coronation is just about a week’s time.”

Lee smiled. “Oswald, have you taken any thought into marriage?”

For the first time ever, Ed heard Oswald speak. “Not really,” he said shortly. “It wouldn’t feel right, making someone I love the target of assassins.” For some reason, that statement made Ed feel woozy.

Lee turned dutifully to Ed then, looking at him expectantly. 

“Um,” Ed tried to speak, to find any words that would fit this context. He took a few seconds to consider his answer before he was finally able to say anything. “My fian c ée was killed a couple weeks ago,” he started. “I now have to choose for myself who to marry.”

Lee seemed pleased with that answer so Ed sighed a breath of relief. “Oswald. Edward. You and your families have come here for the united purpose of seeking peace. Why did you come here to Mistari lands to seek our help?”

Oswald was quick to speak, and Ed could only blink stupidly as he struggled to catch up. “There’s a lack of trust. Even if we decide to make peace on our own, our people would never believe it. We’ve been at war so long that nobody believes in the idea of peace anymore. It seems like a fairytale. Some don’t even think we should  _ make  _ peace.” With that, he gave a quick look at the beautiful woman at his side. 

Ed was so distracted looking at the woman’s beautiful dark curls and trying not to hate her so much that he almost forgot it was his turn to speak. “Uhh… yes. My people also can’t trust in the idea of peace. Unless I give them the word to continue with the fighting or we come up with some way to convince them that the Cobblepots truly seek peace, then there’s nothing my mother or I could do to stop the war.”

Lee nodded patiently and seemed to mull it over for a moment before leaning over to her blond husband and muttering into his ear. They whispered for a few minutes and Ed tried to keep his eyes on the marble floor in front of him and not anywhere near the opposite wall.

“You okay?” Harvey asked from beside him and Ed nearly jumped. He needed to snap out of this.

“Uh. Yes.” Ed shook his head, as if to get rid of the cobwebs in his brain. “Just thinking.”

Lee called for attention again, but it was her husband who spoke. “So you both are claiming that your people doubt in the possibility that this war will ever end. Since you are their leaders, if you move ahead and take the step to trust each other, if you show much you’re willing to give for the sake of ending the fighting, your people will follow. The question is, how much are you willing to give?”

Ed thought of Isabella again, with her skin singed. He thought of Charles, who was willing to ask the enemy to put him out of his misery. He thought of his siblings, his friends, his family members. He thought of Tabitha and Harvey and Jeremiah and their inability to even consider peace as an option. He thought of Ivy taking the risk to go into enemy lands to plead for a truce.

“Anything,” he finally said.

And only a heartbeat later, Oswald said, “Everything.”

Lee stood up once again, inhaling deeply. “The only way to heal hatred is through the heart. With such a huge gap of understanding between your two kingdoms, you must similarly attempt to bridge that gap yourselves.” Ed glanced around at his mother, at Harvey, even at Oswald to see if they knew what she was going on about. While his mother looked impassive and Harvey looked just as confused as Ed, Oswald had his eyes narrowed, as if he had an idea but wasn’t particularly fond of it. “You came for the advice of the Mistari and our agreed upon advice is this: to repair a rip, sew it back together. You two said you’d do anything and everything to stop the war. Never ask your people to do something you lack the courage to do. 

“If you really want peace, start with you two. Set aside your anger and prejudice and choose to trust. A marriage is the only way to show your people that you truly trust in the other’s sincerity for peace.”

Lee barely finished her sentence before Harvey was on his feet protesting. Only a second later, Oswald’s beautiful companion had stood too, shouting insults. Ed’s mother seemed to be shaken out of her reserve and she snapped at the Mistari Disa, just as the opposite wall was rambling their objections.

Oswald squawked, “That is absolutely  _ absurd _ !” and Ed merely sat, glancing between everyone in the hall, unable to think or speak.

Lee raised her hands, face disappointed. “Silence,” she commanded. “Look at you. You expect your people to be willing to make amends, but can’t stand to do it yourselves? Stay one more night. Consider our advice. We will reconvene tomorrow.”

Oswald was in the middle of saying something--probably another bitter protest--when Lee cut in to dismiss the hall.

The Mistari were generous hosts, serving a bountiful dinner and reserving an entire suite of the palace for the serpiente. 

Harvey walked Ed to his bedroom, taking his place by the door to stand guard for the night.

“I’m sorry if it seemed like I crossed a line back there,” Harvey said bashfully. “You’re my friend, Ed, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Just thinking about you having to marry that guy... “ He shook his head disdainfully. 

“It’s okay, Harvey,” Ed said. “I understand. Good night.”

When he was finally alone in his room, Ed collapsed on the bed and groaned. 

Was marriage with an avian really the only way for this war to end?

* * *

Ed didn’t even fully fall asleep when his eyes shot open and he jumped from his bed in shock.

“What--”

Oswald Cobblepot was sitting in the dark room, on one of the armchairs by Ed’s bed. He was lucky Ed didn’t scream.

“What are you doing here?” Ed bit out more aggressively than he’d intended.

“I had the feeling we should talk.” Oswald looked at where Ed was standing. “Sit down. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

“What do you want to talk about?” Ed asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Oswald furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you think I want to talk about?” He rolled his eyes and continued. “They threw us out of the hall very suddenly. It was quite rude of them. Tomorrow will probably end the same way unless you and I talk about it first.”

Ed nodded, already mesmerized by Oswald’s presence.

“I feel it’s important for us to talk alone, since our families were quite heated in the hall.”

Ed blinked out of his daze and glared. “If I recall, you were also ‘quite heated’. You called the idea ‘absurd’.” Ed crossed his arms before he realized it was obvious that he took the slight personally.

“Yes, well.” Oswald shrugged. “It  _ is  _ ridiculous. I’ve always thought of marriage as a bond of love, not of convenience and politics. I don’t even know you. I wouldn’t even know what I was getting myself into.” He took a few moments before he spoke again. “And I’m not saying it’s a good idea because it isn’t, but I can’t help  _ think _ about it. I mean, it does have some potential.”

“What do you mean, ‘getting yourself into’?”

Oswald exhaled tightly and Ed imagined that if he listened close enough, he could hear his heartbeat. “If it was just a physical thing, I wouldn’t have much of a problem agreeing.” Ed sputtered, hand immediately flying to his mouth. Oswald ignored his reaction. “But marriage and love have never been a physical thing to me. The sad fact is that I’d have to marry the person behind the body and after years of trying to figure you out, I don’t know if I want to.”

“Years?” Ed asked, still trying to fight the blush off his cheeks.

Once again, Oswald chose to ignore him. “I thought I knew who you were. A stuck up, repressed, arrogant man who didn’t know or care about the suffering of others.” Ed was once again about to argue but Oswald wasn’t finished. “But then I heard about what you did for my brother on the battlefield. You… You sang to him. You kept him company as he died, even though he was your enemy. And I thought maybe I had you pegged all wrong.”

Ed didn’t know what to argue about this time, so he sat stupidly silent for a while until he saw Oswald get up from the armchair.

Ed flinched on instinct and Oswald glowered at him. He walked over to the bed and took Ed’s face in his hands. “Hmm.” He turned Ed’s head, observing closely. “No, I wouldn’t mind very much at all.”

Ed was too tired to keep up his reserve properly. His heart was hammering in his chest and his face was hot with embarrassment. “I still don’t understand why you’re here.”

“Because I didn’t start this war.  _ You  _ didn’t start this war. But we both have been given the chance to finish it and I think we should take the risk.” Suddenly, Oswald’s hands were off of Ed’s face and running through his hair. Ed didn’t know what to pay attention to. “I’ll be returning to the hall tomorrow. I won’t be bringing anyone else. I hope you’ll join me, so we can discuss this properly without the screaming of our families.” Oswald was tilting Ed’s face up so that they were making intense eye contact. Ed was sure this couldn’t be real. “I hope you can give this idea a chance. If it might work to save us from this war, it might be worth it. Can you try?”

Oswald’s hands were warm and Ed was suddenly feeling very cold. Against his will, he leaned into the touch. 

“I… I’ll try,” Ed said, after remembering that Oswald had asked him a question. 

Oswald’s mouth stretched into a wide smile. “Thank you.” He leaned down to press his lips against Ed’s cheek. Without meaning to, Ed had yelped in surprise.

The door swung open and Oswald jumped back. Harvey and Jeremiah were in the room now, weapons raised. Ed, with a palm stuck stubbornly to his burning cheek, leapt up in between his guard and the man who had somehow snuck into his room in the dark of the night.

“Harvey,” Ed said calmly. “It’s okay. Nothing is wrong. Oswald was just leaving.”

Still touching his cheek, Ed turned slightly to Oswald, who looked thoroughly amused despite being outnumbered. “Thank you so much, Edward, for speaking to me this late. You’re very accommodating.” Ed couldn’t be sure if that was a tease or a threat, but when Oswald held out his arm, Ed didn’t think very hard before accepting.

Together they walked to the door, Harvey and Jeremiah eyeing them all the while.

“Good night, Edward,” Oswald said, chastely kissing Ed once more, this time square on the mouth. Ed squeaked but was incapable of pulling away first. Oswald was smiling when he withdrew. “Hmm. Yes, I’d be very agreeable to that.”

Ed was blushing furiously now, scowling at Oswald. “Thank you for your visit, Oswald,” he said curtly. “Have a good night.” With that, he shut the door, inhaling sharply and pretending like his heart wasn’t beating a thousand beats a minute. 

Harvey was on his side in a second. “I’m so sorry, Ed--I had no idea he was going to--”

Jeremiah quickly joined in. “He just  _ kissed  _ you, the lowlife!”

Ed waved them off. “It was just a kiss. It’s not a big deal.” 

Both Harvey and Jeremiah looked at him skeptically. Serpiente society was perhaps more conservative than avian, but it was still common for people to date and kiss. It was common knowledge that Ed was not one of the people who had ever dated or kissed.

Harvey didn’t seem interested in humoring Ed’s ego, instead leaving the room. Ed wondered vaguely where he went but before he could think on it too long, Jeremiah stole his attention.

“Why didn’t you cry out earlier, Your Highness?” 

Ed was certainly not going to tell the truth (that he’d been so hypnotized by Oswald’s presence that he hadn’t really  _ wanted  _ him to leave), so instead he lied. “It all happened so fast. I wasn’t really sure it was happening or  _ what  _ was happening--”

“If I had known he was going to pull something like that, I would’ve killed him.”

Ed thought about Oswald’s plea to  _ try _ , and was glad Jeremiah hadn’t known.

A kiss was a small price to pay for the possibility of peace. 

But was marriage?

“Edward!” his mother’s voice boomed as she entered the room. Harvey appeared shortly behind her. “Pack your things. We’re leaving.”

Ed shook his head. “Wait, but tomorrow there’s still--”

She was having none of it, a single index finger in the air was all it took. “No. We’re not staying here another second, listening to those  _ lunatics _ preach to us how to solve our problems, letting filthy birds sneak into my son’s chamber to  _ ravage _ him as he sleeps! We’re going  _ home _ , and that’s final.”

Ed wasn’t king yet. If he were, he’d veto his mother’s order and go straight back to bed so he could discuss Lee’s idea with Oswald in the morning. 

But he wasn’t, so he nodded wistfully and went to pack his things. He hated that he didn’t even have time to get a message to Oswald to apologize.

Maybe peace really wasn’t possible.


	2. ii. a ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed has a fascinating dream.

Oswald Cobblepot was the opposite of what was expected for a potential suitor.

In Serpiente society, public displays of affection were considered uncouth.

Oswald had kissed Ed in view of Ed’s guards.

It was all anybody at court could talk about.

Not only had Oswald Cobblepot  _ demanded _ the Serpiente be present for the most ridiculous proposition in all of history, but he’d also  _ assaulted _ the prince in front of others! The scandal! The depravity!

Ed just pretended like his lips didn’t tingle at the thought of the kiss, or that his stomach didn’t churn with guilt that he couldn’t make it to the morning talks with Oswald.

His mother, fully disgusted by both the Mistari suggestion for peace and by Oswald’s actions, had a renewed energy regarding Ed selecting his next fiancee.

Or, at the very least, making his obvious choice official.

Ed avoided this in favor of fussing about his coronation and what he should wear. Whenever his mom mentioned  _ Harvey Dent _ , Ed would wonder aloud if Ecco had any new ideas for his coronation outfit. His mother was frustrated by this, naturally, but since he was still technically talking about the ceremony, she didn’t push it.

Perhaps Ed and Oswald could’ve found out a way to make peace without their stubborn families present. 

Perhaps this war could’ve been avoided with civility to begin with.

Hypotheticals were useless.

* * *

One issue Ed faced upon returning from the failed peace talks was appeasing Tabitha.

He had promised her that if the talks were fruitless, they could attack as soon as they returned, before the Avians could return. 

But Ed couldn’t help but feel that Oswald’s intentions had been sincere. They were both equally disappointed about the Mistari Disa’s proposal. Somehow, it would feel like a betrayal if Ed allowed Tabitha to head a massacre.

Tabitha did not see it that way.

“They are  _ laughing  _ at us, Your Highness!” she exclaimed, glaring at the map on the table in front of her. “If we don’t make a move, they will.”

“We already hate each other,” Ed argued. He’d gone as soon as he could to see her and tell her to stand down. “Is it really worth it to spill blood for the sake of pride?”

Tabitha glowered, finally moving her gaze to meet his. “I mean no disrespect, truly, but I have been commander of the Serpiente army for five years. I know how the enemy thinks. You’re not even king yet.”

Ed blushed. Part of him wanted to retreat, to go to his mother and ask her to remain queen for a little longer. But the part of him that was angry--that was lit on fire, that already felt a king, that resented the disrespect--kept him still. “But I will be. In a very short period of time. So if I say we won’t be attacking first, you will listen.”

Tabitha averted her gaze again. She huffed out a breath and then wordlessly stormed out of the armory.

Ed stared at the door she had gone through and shakily exhaled. Was it always going to be that hard being king?

* * *

Harvey accompanied Ed to market again the day after their return from Mistari lands, albeit reluctantly. Ed thought it would be prudent since the talks had gone so miserably (though not as terribly as he had dreaded) to talk with his people and see what they thought.

Harvey kept close every second of their outing. “A precaution,” he explained. “It’s a tense time and some people misplace their blame.”

Ed didn’t mind since Harvey was usually by his side anyway. 

“Ecco!” Ed greeted as he approached her booth. “Have you made any progress?”

Ecco grinned and nodded. “I think you’ll be quite pleased, Eddie,” she teased. “I know how fond you are of green, after all.”

“That is correct,” he responded. His coronation was soon and what he wore was important. He was also struggling to come up with what he’d say when he was crowned and announcing his spouse but focusing on clothes seemed easier to think about.

Ecco’s smile faded and she leaned in closer to him. “I heard about the talks,” she said sadly. “I’m really sorry nothing changed.”

“Me too,” Ed said.

Harvey shrugged. “They would’ve betrayed us eventually. It’s their nature.”

Ed nodded but he felt like  _ his  _ people were the traitors, leaving peace talks and choosing war over a damaged pride.

Ecco smiled tightly. “At least we tried. The most anyone can do is give the impossible a try, right?” She eyed Ed meaningfully then, and he couldn’t help but feel like she was sending him some sort of message. 

Ed nodded, still a bit taken aback by her look. He turned slowly and went to a food cart, Harvey following close behind.

* * *

Ed had been struggling with sleep recently. It was hard to fall asleep and too easy to wake up. 

The peace talks and every horrible emotion associated with them only worsened his insomnia.

He had asked Lucius Fox, the court pharmacist, to fix him something to help with the sleep and Lucius had delivered.

It was a tea he was meant to drink before bed that would knock him out and make sure he stayed asleep.

He drank it the night he returned from the negotiations and it had worked wonders, so he drank it again the next night.

He was out cold in no time at all.

His dreams were torturous. 

They started with Isabella sitting at a table in a library. She was smiling at him morosely, like he’d already let her down before the conversation even started. “But you never wanted me, did you?” she asked and Ed failed to see the relevance. “Because I did love you, Edward. Very much. You don’t feel the same.”

Ed didn’t reply and she sighed.

“I don’t actually think you’re capable of love, Eddie,” she said gently. “Maybe that’s for best. You won’t get hurt this way.” Ed nodded absently, still incapable of speaking. “But if you don’t have anything you love, you also have nothing to fight for. Isn’t that why you gave up on peace so quickly? You didn’t like the solution so you abandoned all hope?”

Ed finally found his voice to snap, “That’s not what happened! I would’ve stayed if my mother had allowed us to stay!”

“Excuses,” she rebuffed calmly. “You’re going to be king in a few days and you can’t even give an order. Peace doesn’t mean anything to you because  _ nothing  _ means anything to you.”

He wanted to argue, explain how wrong she was, tell her he could and did love and care… 

But he didn’t know how.

Without Ed noticing. Isabella and the library was gone and he was suddenly watching Tabitha in the armory, standing in front of her soldiers. 

“Your prince thinks bird lives are more valuable than his own people’s. Frankly, I don’t think we need his permission to defend ourselves. Who’s with me?”

Ed stared in horror as the armory erupted with cheers and hollers. He spotted Harvey in the crowd, shouting in support. His stomach sank.

The armory doors swung open and the soldiers cried as they ran out, weapons unsheathed and ready to attack. 

There was Oswald, right outside of the armory.

He looked disappointed but unsurprised. 

“I keep getting you wrong,” he said, speaking directly to Ed as if he couldn’t care less that the entire Serpiente army was charging at him. “Promises mean nothing to you.”

Ed flinched when the army reached Oswald and he was slowly torn apart by the mob. 

And suddenly Oswald was standing by his bed, not a scratch on him. He looked completely normal--which, of course he did. Ed’s brain liked to  _ torment  _ him.

“Please don’t scream,” Oswald said.

Ed figured he might have a dream like this eventually.

“What do you want?” Ed snapped, shoving Oswald away to create distance between them. He wouldn’t allow this to play out  _ that  _ way. He had his dignity, after all.

“I would’ve thought that would be obvious.”

Ed narrowed his eyes at the  _ filthy _ comment. “Well, you’re going to have to spell it out for me because it actually isn’t obvious.”

Oswald sighed. He almost looked crestfallen, almost as disappointed as he had been in the previous dream.

“I didn’t break any promises!” Ed stressed angrily right when Oswald opened his mouth. “I was going to stay and meet with you again but my mother didn’t let me because you just  _ had  _ to kiss me in front of my guard. How humiliating.”

When Oswald chuckled lightly, Ed rolled his eyes. “I apologize that I made things difficult for you then.”

Ed didn’t have anything to say to that. As smart as he considered himself when he was lucid, he was much stupider in his dreams. He stayed silent and continued to scowl at the man standing by his bed. 

Oswald’s face softened and he sat on the edge of the bed. He reached for Ed’s hand and held it gently. “Did you have a bad dream? You seemed distressed before I woke you.”

Ed collapsed back against his pillow, pulling his hand away and turning his back to Oswald--something he would never do in the presence of the  _ real _ Oswald. “I always have bad dreams. It’s hard not to when almost everyone I ever knew is dead.”

Oswald hummed thoughtfully. “I can sympathize.”

“I do care,” Ed said forcefully. “I care so much. I hate seeing so many people die all the time. I do care. I do.”

“I believe you.”

Ed scoffed. That was  _ blatantly _ untrue.

“Hey,” Oswald said, voice soft. Ed felt a hand on his shoulder and he let Oswald turn him back around. “I would give anything and everything to give us what we both want. If we both want this stupid fighting to end, then I can’t fathom that we can’t achieve peace.”

Ed couldn’t help but giggle, as if Oswald was making a joke. He must have been. “So you’d marry me? Really?”

Oswald’s face turned red--proof that Ed’s brain was ridiculous--and he looked at the floor. Ed noticed in his sleepy daze that Oswald’s eyelashes were long and lovely. He held out a hand to touch them but missed and accidentally stroked his cheek instead.

Oswald startled but didn’t jump, which is what Ed would probably do if he was awake and any of this was real.

“You really are nothing like I thought you’d be,” Oswald remarked. 

“How did you think I’d be?” Ed asked, wondering if he should withdraw his hand for the sake of his own pride or if he should keep it there because Oswald had soft skin. He decided to keep it there, only moving to better cup his face.

“Well, for one, you snakes are notorious for your reserve. That’s not exactly what I’m seeing right now… I think there might be more to you.”

Ed smiled sleepily. “All of us snakes have more to us. We just don’t let it show outside of our dreams.”

Oswald looked him in the eyes for a long moment and then he was leaning in for a kiss, just like he had at the Mistari. This time, it was softer, seemed like less of a show than it had in front of Ed’s guards. Ed let himself melt into it like he couldn’t before. 

This was the first pleasant dream he’d had in years.

Oswald grasped his hand with his own, pressing something small into the palm. 

He pulled away and Ed whined that it was over so soon. 

“Tomorrow afternoon. I’ll make absolutely sure that the guards on duty are loyal and won’t harm you. I promise you’ll be safe.”

Ed hated that this dream was starting to fade into the next one. This one had been rather lovely. The next one would undoubtedly not be. 

“We can’t discuss anything in a place like this. I’ll get killed if your guards see me. But I have control of my manor so we can make plans there. Do you think you’ll be able to come?” Oswald looked earnest, hopeful. What a silly dream.

Ed grinned and nodded. “Yes,  _ dear _ ,” he said mockingly, causing Oswald’s cheeks to flush again.

“I will be looking forward to it,” Oswald said. He left one chaste kiss on Ed’s forehead and then he was gone. Ed could hardly process how he had gotten in or out but dreams rarely had logical mechanics. 

The next scene his mind manifested for him was of Harvey being torn apart by a flock of eagles with talons as sharp as razor blades.

Ed was unsurprised that the pleasantness of his dream had to dissolve so quickly. Nothing good ever lasted.

* * *

Ed was exhausted the next day, despite the effectiveness of Lucius’ tea. He opted not to go to the market with Harvey and instead stayed in bed staring at the ceiling until the sun was too bright. 

As soon as he emerged from his room, Jeremiah was at his side. “Edward, your mother has summoned you to her chambers.” 

Ed held back a sigh and let Jeremiah lead him upstairs to the master chambers.

His mother was sitting at the small table with Harvey, Tabitha, and a few other guards. They all looked up expectantly when Ed entered. Harvey gave a half smile while Tabitha narrowed her eyes.

“Edward,” his mother greeted. “You’ve finally decided to drag your body out of bed.”

Ed smiled tightly. “Good afternoon, Mother.”

His mother gestured gracefully to a chair to her right and he obediently sat.

“We were just talking about our next strategy. Since you’ll be king in just a few days, I figured it would be best for you to be present.” 

Ed nodded and sat in silence as the others at the table bickered about strategy.

“There’s a powerful poison being produced by some of our chemists,” Tabitha proposed. “If we prepare properly, it could be devastating for the avians and harmless to us. Lucius Fox was the one to bring up building an immunity to it.”

“Fascinating,” the queen said. “And the avians would have no way to build an immunity of their own?”

“No,” Tabitha chuckled. “Not unless they somehow had access to our poison.”

“That’s wonderful news.”

“I think since the enemy’s return from the Mistari, they’ve been disorganized and panicked.” Tabitha chanced a glance at Ed but then turned back to his mother to firmly face her. “This is an optimal time to attack. They’ll be caught off guard. We need to attempt a direct attack before they can reorganize and--”

“Doesn’t anyone believe that the reason they haven’t attacked us is because they genuinely want peace?” The silence that followed Ed’s words answered his question. Everybody at the table avoided his gaze, except for Tabitha, who eyed him with a skeptical look that asked him, “Do  _ you _ ?”

Ed could understand their lack of hope.

The avians and serpiente had been at war for hundreds of years. Nobody knew what peace was. It seemed like a concept straight out of idealistic fantasy.

Ed changed tactics. “A direct attack has never worked before. Every time we’ve attempted it before has been futile. If we fight them on their land, we’re automatically at a disadvantage, and with their military prowess we’ve never been able to make a significant blow. If we attack them directly, we’re giving up hordes of our own soldiers to knick theirs.”

Tabitha spoke up, “This is why I recommend to do it  _ now _ . They’re disorganized and unprepared--”

“Even if their army is falling apart at the seams like you say, it’s still suicide to even attempt it. If you genuinely can’t believe that they want peace, then they must have some sort of plan. They’re not stupid.”

“Do you have any other plan?” Ed’s mother asked. The rest of the table stared at Ed, waiting for a suggestion. Either he had an alternative to Tabitha’s plan, or he was proposing surrender. Ed would never let that happen. Hundreds of years they’d been at war. If Ed was the one to end it--and with a surrender, no less--he’d be dooming his people to being seen as weak and conquerable, bringing more pain and destruction to follow.

Ed wanted to snap that he might have an another plan if he’d been allowed to stay in the Mistari land to further discuss solutions for peace. Marriage to Oswald Cobblepot was ridiculous, but surely it wasn’t the only idea Lee could come up with. But the serpiente didn’t trust avians, so the only way Ed could keep fighting for peace was to visit avian land on his own without the knowledge of his people. And that? Going in alone? That was tantamount to suicide, letting the serpiente queen’s last child and heir get struck down before he could even ask to speak to Oswald.

Tabitha grew sick of the silence and spoke once more, “We need to do something. If we could deal a damaging blow, I would sacrifice every life under my command, including my own. I think it’s time to risk a little more.”

Tabitha was a popular commander, and for good reason. She was passionate and a lethal soldier, possessing stealth and strength in one agile body. Her words carried weight and she earned the respect she had. The heads around the table nodded in agreement.

Ed couldn’t help but feel nervous. If he didn’t come up with an idea, some sort of substantial strategy, then they would decide without him, setting precedent that he would be a weak king. He could not have that.

“My coronation is in three days,” Ed said. “Just allow me the chance to consider another solution. In the meantime, organize yourselves for the offensive Tabitha suggested. If, by the morning after my coronation, nobody else has any other ideas, then I’ll allow you to attack.”

Ed glanced nervously at his mother for her approval. Her face was blank. “You heard my son. Tabitha, you’ll be leading the offense when it comes, since the guard is needed here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tabitha said, nodding her head. 

“Dismissed,” the queen declared.

The soldiers all exited the chambers, with Harvey giving Ed a discrete thumbs up before he too left the room.

Ed was about to follow when his mother’s voice stopped him. “Edward. A word?”

Ed turned to face her. 

“You’ve been avoiding the topic but I truly believe that you should announce your betrothed on your coronation day. It’s not customary, and you don’t have to, but our people are suffering. Defeat seems like it’s looming over us all, and it would help morale to know that the king has chosen a fiance. And I know you and Harvey are just friends but he’s popular, and well-liked. Choosing him would bring joy.”

“I’ll give you my answer after the ceremony,” Ed said. 

His mother begrudgingly dismissed him, and Ed was finally allowed free, only to realize with dread how short of a time three days was. 

* * *

The next two days passed far too quickly and Ed had made no progress on an alternate plan, or even a way to get to the avian lands without being killed.

The morning before his coronation, Ed was surprised with two gifts.

One was the outfit from Ecco that he had been expecting for some time now. It was beautiful and made of green silk, the material light and shimmering.

The other was sent from a family that managed a booth at the market. They sold beautiful jewelry and Ed was touched that they had thought to arrange something for him with no prompting.

It was a lovely necklace, simple and silver to match the green of Ecco’s outfit. 

Ed moved quickly to put the outfit away before it could get wrinkled or dirty before the coronation. Then he moved to put the necklace away, but was confused about where he’d put his jewelry box.

He looked around his room for it and then finally sank to the floor to check under his bed. Though there was no box, there was a strange glint. When Ed reached for it, he realized it was a ring.

Upon closer observation, his stomach churned and he felt dizzy.

It was Oswald Cobblepot’s ring. The amethyst was glaring at him and Ed blanched at the realization that  _ none of that had been a dream _ .

Ed’s face caught fire. None of that had been a dream. Oswald had really been in his room, Ed had really  _ shoved  _ him, had really cupped his face, had really let him kiss him without any chasteness....

And Oswald had asked if Ed would come to his manor the next day and Ed had said  _ “Yes, dear _ .” Ed reddened even more. 

What had Oswald thought when Ed hadn’t showed? 

He probably thought Ed was opposed to peace, that he had simply agreed so that Oswald would leave.

Ed got up in a hurry off the floor and slipped the ring onto his own finger. A lack of response probably meant that the serpiente was planning an attack. Ed knew Oswald was probably planning an attack at that very moment. 

He had to act fast. 

He took nothing with him, not even a weapon. Ivy had come to serpiente land unarmed and she had still been treated with hostility and suspicion. Ed could not afford to risk being killed outright. After all, Oswald had only promised him safety for one day. 

Ed and Harvey had a secret code from when they were children. If Ed snuck out and was entirely safe, he would move the vase of flowers on his bed side table to the table by the door. This would let Harvey know that Ed hadn’t been snatched from his chambers.

He couldn’t tell Harvey, of course. His friend would never allow him to go.

Ed had very little time to waste.

* * *

Oswald’s promises meant very little when Ed was late like this. He slowed his horse’s pace some before reaching the manor and started to panic about the possibility that he would get killed by avian guards.

Ed had too much energy and he was quickly approaching the manor anyway, so he got off his horse and started to walk beside it to release some of his anxious energy.

“What do we have here, Victor?”

Ed spun around to see a beautiful woman dressed in black leather. Knives were in sheaths on her thighs and her dark hair was put up in a bun. 

Ed recognized her as Oswald’s brunette companion at the Mistari peace talks… the one who had loudly protested Lee’s suggestion. 

She was holding a dark stave with a blade at the top. Ed gulped nervously and took a step back, only to feel the sharpness of another weapon at his back. 

“Where do you think you’re going,  _ snake _ ?” said another voice from behind him, lilted a bit as if he were making a joke.

The woman nodded toward a nearby tree and Ed was being ushered to it by the prodding of the weapon at his back.

“Turn,” the woman commanded when Ed was finally at the tree. Ed obeyed, figuring that acquiescence to all demands could spare his life.

The woman was standing next to a bald man dressed in an identical outfit to hers. This was probably the Victor she had addressed earlier.

“I’m here for Oswald Cobblepot. He--”

“Search him,” the woman said in an unaffected voice. Victor smirked and wasted no time before obeying. 

Ed’s face reddened as Victor inspected his body. The search was thorough and Ed felt proud of himself for coming unarmed. 

“Aw, man,” Victor said, voice disappointed. “He’s got nothing, Sofia.” He stopped short when his hand met Ed’s. “Hey, wait a minute.”

Victor pulled the ring off Ed’s finger and held it up for Sofia to see.

Sofia’s eyes glinted with fury and before Ed could open his mouth to speak, she struck him against his back with her stave. “Victor, tie him up.” Victor moved quickly. “I’d kill you here,” Sofia said, finally speaking to Ed, who was on the ground after being hit. He was seeing stars and was struggling to catch his breath. “But I think it best that you can explain to Oswald why you have that ring.”

Ed said nothing. Talking to Oswald was what he  _ came  _ for. 

Sofia hit him again when he was bound, across his wrists. “Alright, get moving.”

With that, both Victor and Sofia were walking behind him, hitting him every once in a while to beckon him in the right direction.

Ed mourned that he had to leave his horse, but hopefully it wouldn’t move far.

Ed was finally in the manor that he’d heard fantasies and horror stories about. A building no serpiente had ever left alive. It was beautiful and elegant, walls adorned with golden-framed paintings and floors covered with beautiful patterned rugs. 

When they finally reached a hall with high ceilings, Sofia struck him one last time and Ed almost fell on his face, if not for Victor’s stave placed in front of him to keep him in place. Ed wondered why they had to be so violent with him. He had been nothing but cooperative.

“Fetch Oswald,” Sofia said and a guard who had been in the hall when they entered nodded and ran off to get him. 

Ed kept his gaze on the floor as he waited, trying to reorient himself from the hits he’d endured.

The door opened and Sofia rushed forwards, meeting Oswald in the doorway and grabbing his hand. 

“Oswald,” she greeted cheerfully, voice a sharp contrast to the way she had addressed Ed only moments before.

Oswald was smiling at her, and Ed bit his lip to fight off the resentment he was starting to feel towards Sofia.

“Sofia, what could be so important that you--”

Then Oswald looked around the hall and saw Ed. His face contorted into anger and Ed was suddenly terrified that he was in for further violence. 

“Get off him!” Oswald snapped, moving quickly to shove the guards away from Ed. Sofia asted no time in protesting but when Oswald spun to face her, she shut her mouth. “You searched him?”

“Yes. He was unarmed.”

Oswald rolled his eyes. “So why are you still here?”

Sofia hesitated. “He… He came unannounced--”

“Get  _ out _ !”

Ed flinched again. To his surprise, Sofia obeyed, taking Victor with her. If Ed had commanded his own guard to leave, they would’ve laughed at him.

With Victor gone, Ed had been free to finally fall to the floor, his knees too bruised to be able to hold his body upright.

Oswald sank down to his knees with him, pulling out a knife. Ed winced in preparation for the killing blow, but all Oswald did was cut the ties that bound his wrists.

They were quite close, and Ed’s face was hot with embarrassment that his behavior that night had probably given Oswald the impression that formality wasn’t necessary. 

“Did they hurt you?” Oswald asked, voice much softer than it had been before. He reached for Ed’s hand and attempted to help him to his feet.

“Just a little. I’m fine. Really, I’ve had worse--” But Ed fell back towards the ground, his knees in too much pain to hold him up. Oswald moved to catch him and only barely managed to hold him upright. The anger from earlier had resurfaced on his face. 

“If I had known you were coming, I would never chosen Sofia to patrol tonight.”

“You had no idea,” Ed mumbled, feeling guilty again that he was coming so late. Oswald still looked angry, so Ed tried to change the subject. “Victor took the ring you gave me before I could explain. I’m sorry I’m late. I… I didn’t know--”

Oswald interrupted him, “You should sit down. Sitting on the floor won’t be good for you.”

He helped Ed get to the comfortable chairs in the corner of the room by the fireplace. Oswald was holding his arm and had an arm around his waist and Ed tried to hide his blush. If anyone from his court saw  _ this _ , there would be outrage. Touch was frowned upon in serpiente society, especially between two people who weren’t even married.

Avian culture was apparently much freer with intimacy, seeing as Oswald had no qualms with touching and holding and  _ kissing _ . He probably hadn’t even considered that such acts would be shocking to Ed, but then again why should he, when Ed had so enthusiastically returned his last kiss?

When they were both seated, Oswald said, “Ivy made me wait one more night. I’m glad she did.”

“I can’t stay long,” Ed said morosely. “My guards don’t know I’m here, or they never would have let me come.”

Oswald looked confused for a moment until he burst into laughter. “Oh, right. I forgot you snakes let your guard speak over royalty.” He seemed amused by the power imbalance. “Sofia can protest all she wants, but if I give an order, she obeys.” 

Ed bit his lip again, this time fighting off a smile of admiration instead of anger toward a woman he barely knew. 

There was a beat of silence where Ed let himself look over Oswald’s appearance--as elegant and lovely as ever, his hair uniquely styled to look like feathers protruding from his head--until Oswald spoke again. “Your coronation is tomorrow.”

It wasn’t a question but Ed nodded anyway, a little confused that Oswald would have such information. 

“I have ears in your Keep,” Oswald explained casually. “They make sure I’m in the know.”

Ed paled in horror at the thought that the avians had spies in his court. How long had this been going on? It explained how Oswald got into his room but…

“And… who might those spies of yours be?” Ed asked, suspiciously.

Oswald smiled politely. “I’ll tell you when we end the war, okay?”

Ed swallowed nervously. If they couldn’t end the war, then he would spend the rest of his life knowing that the enemy had one more damning advantage.

“I meant it when I said I’d do anything to end this war,” Oswald said. “If that means marrying you, I’ll get to my knees right now. If it means following any ideas you have, then so be it. If it means tearing your keep apart  _ brick by brick _ , then I will do it without hesitation.”

Ed scowled and got to his feet despite the agonizing ache in his legs. “Alright. I’m leaving now. I didn’t come here so you could threaten me.”

“Sit down.”

“So you’re not even going to let me leave?” Ed snapped. 

“No,” Oswald answered smoothly. “I promised you would be safe here so if you wanted to leave, nobody would stop you.”

“And after?” 

Oswald smiled widely. That was answer enough.

Ed collapsed back into the chair.

“Thank you,” Oswald said. He reached for Ed’s hand, like he did almost every time they were in close proximity. “Really, I’m becoming desperate. I’ve considered taking my own life, if that would stop this senseless bloodbath. But the Mistari have given us a rather attractive alternative.” Ed’s eyes widened in surprise. “Edward, you’re very handsome, but I don’t love you. I don’t think I could ever love you. And I don’t think you’ll ever love me. I don’t think it’s possible. The idea of marrying for some reason other than love was repulsive to me, but I’ve thought about it and I realize that I was being selfish. This isn’t about what I want, or how I feel. It’s not about what you want either, sadly. We need to put our pride aside and  _ trust _ , like Lee said. So…”

Ed watched as Oswald got off his chair and got to his knees. He was holding both of Ed’s hands now and his eyes were imploring. 

“Edward Nygma, would you be my husband so we can end this war, even though we won’t ever be able to love each other?”

Ed gasped, suddenly unable to speak or move or breathe. 

Did Oswald expect an answer now? Why else would he ask? How could Ed say no when Oswald could easily kill him here?

“There’s no way my guards would ever support this,” Ed said when he could finally summon his voice. 

“Right now all I want is an answer. We’ll figure out the rest later.” When Ed further hesitated, Oswald spoke again, voice light. “Could you say something quick, though? My leg can’t be in this position for this long.”

Ed jumped in his seat, guilty for forgetting that Oswald Cobblepot had a limp--given to him from a battle several years ago. The limp didn’t make him any less lethal, but Ed could see now that it still came with its disadvantages.

“Yes,” Ed said in a rush. “Yes, I will marry you.”

Oswald beamed and kissed Ed’s hands. “Thank you.” He stood and pressed yet another ring into Ed’s palm. It was almost identical to the one Victor had confiscated, except that this one had an emerald instead of an amethyst.

So this was really happening then…

“I will announce my husband two nights from now, the night after your coronation. I can push it back if you want, but I thought it would be a good idea to move as soon as possible.”

Ed nodded. “No, that is a good idea. If I make my announcement to my people before I tell anyone else, then nobody could do anything. It’s a crime to threaten the king’s betrothed.” 

Oswald smiled and sat back down. “Wonderful.”

“How…” Ed blushed a bit before fitting his words together. “How will your people take the news?”

“They’ll hate it.” Oswald laughed. “Of course they’ll hate it. They’ll think I’m crazy. They’ll think you’re going to try to kill me while I sleep. They’ll think you’re trying to seduce me. But it’s perfectly reasonable that someone as attractive as you has got me head over heels, so at least they’ll be able to believe I could love you.”

Ed reddened even more, constantly flushed in Oswald’s presence. 

“Don’t worry,” Oswald said gently. “It’s also an avian crime to hurt someone promised to me. They’d be skinned alive for even trying.”

Ed should’ve been shocked by the barbaric punishment but instead his stomach grew warm and he grinned. 

“You should come here tomorrow after your ceremony. Do you think you could manage it?”

Ed nodded. 

“Good,” Oswald said, getting to his feet. “That’ll give us time to prepare for the announcement.”

Ed’s smile vanished. Tomorrow he’d be in front of countless avians, relying on nothing more than Oswald’s word to keep him safe. “That should be great.” Ed also got to his feet, knees less sore now that he’d rested a bit. “I should go now.”

“Yes, dear,” Oswald said, parroting Ed’s humiliating words from a few nights ago. 

Ed blushed and just as he was about to attempt to explain his behavior from then, Oswald leaned in and kissed him. 

Ed hated that he was disappointed that the kiss was chaste and fleeting. Oswald pulled away quickly. 

“Please get home safe,” he said and Ed nodded, eager to leave before he did something stupid like kiss Oswald himself to do it  _ properly _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original book has some pacing issues. We are pretty much at the half way point of the novel, if you can believe it. Not enough pining! So I added some. A lot, actually. And more kisses. This is a fic! It's meant to be self indulgent! Also I have tweaked their personalities a little. Anyway I hope y'all liked this <3 love uuuuu

**Author's Note:**

> the first chapter is vERY similar to the corresponding events in the book but in the next chapter, thinks will start to diverge a bit because hawksong didn't have a slow enough burn for me and i want more angst out of this.


End file.
